One question I get asked often is how to make regular old comfort foods healthier. So for anyone who knows me, knows that I will always change up a recipe somehow to make it just a little healthier, so here are some ideas. Enjoy!

5 Ways to Make Comfort Foods Healthier!

1- Use lower fat cream/milk. When a recipe calls for full cream in a soup or sauce, choose 2% milk or even an evaporated milk. You will be able to retain the flavour, but decrease the calories and fat. Make sure to thicken it by adding 1 tbsp of flour for each 1 cup.

2- Boost up your meals by adding vegetables! You can always add a little more vegetable to your recipes. By using frozen vegetables you can always cut back on your prep time too! An example would be in your lasagna, add a layer of sliced zucchini or even mix a package of frozen spinach to your cottage cheese/ricotta layer. You’ll help boost your intake of fibre and vitamins and minerals.

3- Substitute regular white potatoes for a mix of sweet potatoes and butternut squash. This will help lower calories and will boost your vitamin A and C. This mix could be used as a topping for shepherd’s pie. Just add some grated parmesan cheese and yum!

4- When choosing cheese for recipes, select a more flavourful, high quality cheese. This way you won’t need to use as much to get a great flavour!

5- Any recipe that calls for a crust can be a little tricky, like a chicken pot pie. Why not consider only using a top crust? Also, using a Filo pastry instead of a puff or dough pastry will help you save on calories and fats but you’ll be able to keep that delicious flaky crust!